Deer Tick

Add Date: October 11 

Artist: Deer Tick 

Album: Divine Providence 

Label: Partisan 

Genre: Rock, alt-country 

Comments: Somewhat lost in Deer Tick's billing as a modern "alt-country" or "folk rock" act is the undeniable influence that Paul Westerberg has had on frontman John McCauley. Perhaps in an effort to rectify this--and certainly in an attempt to capture the band's raucous live shows--comes Divine Providence, the fourth and most unabashedly rock-and-roll Deer Tick LP. The band doesn't really seek to muffle its homage to The Replacements--tell me that the guitar noise and random line from the national anthem at the start of "Something to Brag About" doesn't seem like a page out of Westerberg's playbook--and at other times, it just doesn't muffle anything. (On the front of the liner notes is the line: "You should play this f***er as loud as possible." Amen.)

Let's clarify another misconception: though Deer Tick started out as a de facto solo project, McCauley is now joined by a full band; guitarist Ian O'Neil wrote and sang on two tracks here, and drummer Dennis Ryan is at the helm of the song that he penned, "Clownin Around". I'll say that those aren't my favorite tunes on the record; McCauley's gravelly warble really completes Deer Tick's sound, and when he isn't singing lead vocals, something seems amiss. But that band certainly fleshes out McCauley's tunes, from his countrified rock to his folksier balladry.

A fine record--check out tracks 5, 3, 9, 7 and 1.